Sherlock
by Chrome Hearts
Summary: The exams have gone missing, stolen from the staff room right under the Principal's nose. Solving the task has been entrusted to Nathaniel and his best friend Lucy, and it's up to them to put the pieces together and solve the mystery before it's too late.
1. Stolen?

Title; Sherlock  
Style: Short Series  
Chapter: One – Stolen?  
Authoress; Chrome Hearts  
Fandom; My Candy Love  
Main Focus; NathanialxOC  
Rating; K

_**A/N: Aaaand, any guesses as to where I got the title for this? *cough* SHINee *cough*  
So this is going to be a short series on everyone's **__**favourite**__** blondie, Nathaniel!  
Yeah, I'm running out of ideas for Authors Notes.  
/goes and dances to SHINee's Sherlock.  
Lucy Watson belongs to WillowSioui**_

Disclaimer; All publicly recognizable characters, settings, etc. are the property of their respective owners. The original characters and plot are the property of the author. The author is in no way associated with the owners, creators, or producers of any media franchise. No copyright infringement is intended.

~Sherlock~

Lucy stood in front of the tall blonde awkwardly, unsure of what to say and incredibly aware of the pair of golden eyes that stared down at her. She didn't know what to say, or how exactly she had come to be in a situation like this. Nathaniel was her childhood friend. They used to spend hours outside exploring and discovering things together. Almost inseparable. They said opposites attract; her and Nathanial were exactly that when they were younger. Nate, a mischievous, naughty little boy who possessed a knack for getting into trouble. Lucy, a calm, and collected, bright little girl.  
One particularly warm spring day as they played Detective outside in the yard, they made a vow to be best friends forever. The pair, just six at the time had promised. Yes, that was exactly what they were going to do!  
How naive children could be. Lucy's mother received a job in Haverfordwest, Wales, and the family moved immediately. Much to the pair's horror, what was once a close-knit friendship filled with promises of forever, adventure and games soon turned to communicating every other day via phone.  
Lucy looked quickly up at the teenage boy that now stood in front of her, and how he had changed! If it wasn't for his glittering golden eyes, she certainly wouldn't have recognized him.  
It was somewhat like a dream; she had longed to see Nathanial just once more – not a day had gone by where she didn't wish she could have said one last goodbye to him – and now, he was standing right in front of her.  
"Lucy?" he asked quietly, shock evident in his voice. "What… What are you doing back in Sweet Amoris?"  
Lucy looked up at her childhood friend, her deep navy eyes sparkling.  
"My family moved back not that long ago," she replied, her accent thick. "I'm back for good now."  
A smile played across Nathaniel's face. His childhood friend was finally back!  
"I can't believe that you're actually here… Back in Sweet Amoris," Nathaniel beamed as he moved next to his friends side. "Come. I'll show you around."  
One thing was for certain: the pair had a lot of catching up to do.

_**~Sherlock~**_

Lucy sat opposite Nathaniel in the library that evening, the two of them laughing and smiling just like they used to.  
"So, Holmes," Lucy grinned. She always loved calling him that. "What has been going on around here? Anything important at all?"  
Nathaniel shook his head, offering a light shrug.  
"Nothing really. It's been somewhat dull here for the past few months."  
It wasn't that nothing exciting ever happened at Sweet Amoris, as, of course, it did. Nathaniel just didn't feel like mentioning it, more keen on hearing about Lucy's life in Wales.  
Unfortunately for him, Lucy had the same idea in mind.  
"Oh come on now," she said, giving Nathaniel a light tap on the arm. "I'm sure _something _interesting has happened!"  
Nathaniel chewed on his bottom lip as he thought, a topic suddenly springing into his mind.  
"Well, there is one thing," he said slowly.  
Lucy smiled. "Yes?" she urged.  
"Well, there have been a few cases of theft."  
"What?" Lucy asked in surprise.  
Nathaniel waved his hands dismissively.  
"Nothing serious though; it's just a textbook here and a Student I.D there."  
Lucy arched her eyebrows at him.  
"And you haven't done anything to stop them?"  
Nathaniel shook his head. "I haven't the time nor authority to do so."  
Lucy looked away. "I see," she said softly. "Well, if it happens again, we need to do something."  
Nodding his head slowly, Nathaniel sighed. "I guess so. On one or two occasions, there have been reports of someone breaking into lockers and stealing money out of bags. The principal, of course, was called in to deal with the issue. Apparently it had 'stopped'. But that was the Principal simply not knowing where to look or what to look for. Even though it is unresolved, I 've been forbidden to look into it further."  
Lucy made a face. "Were the lockers bolt cut? I mean… Only the genitor has access to equipment such as that."  
Nathaniel shot a small smile in his friends direction; he could tell that she was just itching to investigate.  
"No. The padlocks remained completely intact."  
Letting out a quiet sigh, Lucy leaned backwards in her chair, folding her arms behind her head.  
"They must have picked the lock… But with what?"  
Nathaniel shrugged, turning his gaze to stare out of the window.  
"What's something small enough to be able to pick any lock? It would need to be versatile… And an everyday object – easily concealable."  
"Bobbypins," Lucy said quietly. "It has to be a girl."  
"Or a boy trying to lead false traces," Nathaniel replied.  
He hesitated, knowing perfectly well that the most he could do was throw around a few possible strategies with his friend. He would never be allowed to actually scope the place out.  
The door of the Student Council room slammed open, colliding loudly with the plaster wall with a loud _crash_.  
Immediately, Lucy and Nathaniel's gaze reverted towards the door.  
A pink clad, round woman with half-moon glasses stood in the doorway, her face pink with rage, her breathing fast and her tiny hands balled tightly into fists. A small Corgi yipped loudly –and repetitively- at her heels as he followed behind her a few paces. Immediately, Lucy recognized her as the principal.  
"Principal Roux!" Nathaniel exclaimed, getting quickly to his feet, startled by the anger that seemed to radiate off of her. "What's wrong?"  
"The exams have been stolen!" She barked, her short arms flailing.  
"The exams?" Lucy repeated quickly and the principal nodded. "Then just leave it to us.

_**~Sherlock~**_

A/N: A wild principal appeared!  
Hope you enjoyed reading the first chapter of the short series, Sherlock.


	2. Clue

Title; Sherlock  
Style: Short Series  
Chapter: Two – Clue.  
Authoress; Chrome Hearts  
Fandom; My Candy Love  
Main Focus; NathanialxOC  
Rating; K

_**A/N: I've had my creative spree for today, and now that's out of my system, it's time for an update on this~  
Ahaha, another SHINee refrence for the chapter name. /imsosad.**_

Disclaimer; All publicly recognizable characters, settings, etc. are the property of their respective owners. The original characters and plot are the property of the author. The author is in no way associated with the owners, creators, or producers of any media franchise. No copyright infringement is intended._****_

~Sherlock~

School had finished hours before, and the sky was illuminated with hues of dusty pink and burnt orange as the sun slowly faded away behind the horizon. The students of Sweet Amoris High School had been all too glad upon the closing of the school day and had left as fast as their legs could allow, leaving behind them litter and forgotten homework. Of course, with the exception of Lucy Watson and Nathaniel.  
The pair remained inside the Student Council Room, various notes of suspects and profiles were scrunched up and strewn across the tables' surface and the carpeted floor.  
They had been working at it since well before school had finished for the day, and were about as close to solving it as they were when they started. They had gotten nowhere.  
Nathaniel sighed, rocking backwards in his chair, his back to the window, and pinched the bridge of his nose, his skin soaking up the last of the suns weak rays before it disappeared completely behind the horizon. _**  
**_"This is hopeless," Nathaniel frowned, scrunching up another piece of paper and tossing it across the room – missing the overflowing rubbish bin by a good few meters.  
"It's not," Lucy replied warily. "We just need to keep trying. I'm going to go for a walk to clear my mind."  
Nathaniel nodded at his friend, his golden eyes following her as she left.  
She had grown up so beautifully, he thought. So absolutely beautiful.  
Of course, he could never tell her that. Lucy, after all, was his best friend, and he didn't want to jeopardize that relationship by revealing how he thought of her.  
A small smile tugged the corners of Nathaniel's lips upwards as Lucy closed the door gently behind her.  
Maybe if the time was ever right, he'd consider telling her.  
But, there was a time and place for everything; and that time wasn't now.  
He had some work to do.

_**~Sherlock~**_

As Lucy strolled along the eerily quiet hallways of Sweet Amoris, guided only by the occasional light that flickered softly above her, she frowned, coming to a stop out the front of the Staff Room.  
Reaching out slightly, she gave the door handle a gentle turn, and exactly as she had expected, the door didn't even budge, locked tightly from the inside.  
She squatted down to inspect the lock closely – it was a chunky, silver thing respectively, one that stuck out of the door and was painstakingly obvious.  
Lucy traced a fingertip along the keyhole and sighed.  
Her fingertips travelled to her hair and gently, she untangled a bobby pin that held her fringe away from her eyes before inserting the hair clip turned utensil into the keyhole, slowly picking.  
The lock gave a small click and a triumphant smile played across Lucy's face.  
She re-pinned her fringe before her fingers wrapped around the door handle as she tried it once more.  
Again, the door didn't move, and Lucy frowned.  
She crouched down once more, her knees touching the tiled floor as she examined the small gap between the door and frame.  
Towards the bottom, an incredibly thin piece of metal sat comfortably between the door and frame, and Lucy assumed the same object was near the top. The small smile played across her face once more as she dug around in her jacket pocket, pulling out her purse.  
Her fingers hovered above her cards before she settled for her Student I.D card, quickly slipping it out of its pocket.  
To pick the lock of a door was one thing, and, the immediately obvious, bulky lock of the Staff Room, of course, was an easy target for the delinquent type. Or so it seemed.  
Yes, it did appear that way if one didn't take into account the hidden bolt-like locks at the top and bottom of the door. They would immediately lock themselves if the main lock was opened with anything other than the key in which it was designed for.  
Most normal people would have given up after the first few attempts at trying to pick the lock in fear of getting caught.  
But not the one who stole the exams. They were obviously well informed with the lock's setup, and could easily work their way around it.  
"These people obviously were trying to keep people out," Lucy murmured, shaking her head. "Of course though. I mean… The exams are kept in here."  
She turned her Student I.D card between her fingertips before sliding it downwards through the thin gap between the door and its frame and, as expected, after the slightest amount of pressure, the bottom lock retracted.  
To any well informed person, this was almost too easy. A simple matter of (one) trial and error, and the entire lock structure and set up would be discovered mere moments later.  
"They need to invest in a better security system," Lucy sighed, dusting herself off as she got to her feet, her Student I.D was quickly placed back in the small card pocket and her purse tucked away inside her jacket.  
She moved quietly, soundlessly, across the darkening hallways of Sweet Amoris and entered the Student Council Room.  
Nathaniel looked up almost immediately, a small mountain of crumpled paper was slowly growing from beside him.  
"How was your walk?" he asked with a small smile. "Did you clear your head?"  
Lucy nodded. "Completely refreshed, actually. As a matter of fact, I have a few things you can add to the suspect profile."  
Nahaniel's brows furrowed in wonder. "Go on," he said, motioning for her to continue.  
She took a seat next to him.  
"It's simple, really. We're looking for a girl. One that uses bobby pins."  
"And?" Nathaniel urged.  
"As I said earlier; the lock was obviously picked, and, after a quick trial of that theory, a bobby pin unlocks the door, per se."  
Nathaniel crumpled another piece of paper and sighed.  
"But Lucy, that means every girl in the school is a suspect."  
Lucy shook her head, a small smile playing across her face.  
"Not quite. The lock that I picked with a bobby pin is just one of three locks on the door. It'd take a sharp-minded, intelligent girl to work that out… So that narrows the number down significantly."  
Nathaniel laughed. "To about three."  
Lucy winked at her friend. "Exactly."  
Nathaniel's hand moved quickly across the paper as he wrote down what he heard.  
"And," Lucy continued, "she would have to be familiar with the interior of the Staff Room to have realized about the hidden double locks. They're not exactly visible at first glance, and you'd think someone would notice a girl staring carefully at the door of the Staff Room, right? No, we're looking for someone who has had access to it on a regular basis. She would have known exactly what she was looking for, where to find it, when it was safe to break in and, how to make it as inconspicuous as possible. Alright, Sherlock, what girl has access to the Staff Room without having their motives questioned?"  
"Peggy," Nathaniel said quietly.  
The smile on Lucy's face grew.  
"Looks like the interrogation begins tomorrow."

_**~Sherlock~**_

A/N: _**Professor Oak's words echoed throughout Nathaniel's head. "There's a time and place for everything… But not now."**_


	3. Note

Title; Sherlock  
Style: Short Series  
Chapter: Three – Note  
Authoress; Chrome Hearts  
Fandom; My Candy Love  
Main Focus; NathanialxOC  
Rating; K

_**A/N: Just like the previous chapter, this one has another SHINee reference for the chapter title. And the last chapter will, too. All taken from SHINee's latest album, 'Sherlock.' *cough where I got the idea for this cough***_

Disclaimer; All publicly recognizable characters, settings, etc. are the property of their respective owners. The original characters and plot are the property of the author. The author is in no way associated with the owners, creators, or producers of any media franchise. No copyright infringement is intended.  
_**  
**__****_

~Sherlock~

Nathaniel and Lucy were able to track Peggy down with ease the following afternoon during lunch. In all honesty, she wasn't all that hard to miss. No matter how many students made up Sweet Amoris, Peggy could always be found in the middle of the largest group, sniffing around for juicy news to report on in the _Student's (not so much) Choice_ newspaper that she handed out every Friday without fail, or rather, forcing the students younger than her to take one.  
As there was a basketball match on during lunch between Sweet Amoris and their rival school, Amer Haine, and as expected, Peggy sat perched on the grandstands that rose upwards to the roof of the Gymnasium closest to the court, lips pursed and camera in hand, waiting. Her keen eyes darted between players as she snapped the occasional picture, occasionally swapping between her camera and her tape recorder where she quietly commentated the game – just for her own sake.  
"There she is," Nathaniel breathed and, grabbing Lucy lightly by the hand, lead her around the side of the court to where Peggy sat by the sidelines.  
"We won't be able to really say anything to her until the game is over," Lucy said, nodding her head in the direction of the players whom noisily called out to one another for the possession of the ball. "Even if she was to tell us, we would never be able to hear her."  
Nathaniel nodded at her and took a seat on the row of seats behind Peggy, gently pulling her down beside him.  
The two sat in silence as they watched the small orange ball be thrown across the court, the teams grunting at one another as they shoved each other out of the way to claim ownership of it.  
"I don't understand this game," Lucy said with a simple shrug. Nathaniel turned to face her.  
"How so?" he asked and again, Lucy shrugged.  
"If Sweet Amoris worked as a team, they'd win faster."  
Nathaniel's lips curled up into a small smile. "They _are_ working as a team though, Luce."  
To his surprise, Lucy shook her head, immediately disagreeing.  
"No," she said, her eyes fixated on the small orange ball as it flew from one side of the court to the other. "If four of Sweet Amoris players held four of Amer Haine's players, that would make it one on one, rather than five on one. It's simple, really. It lowers the likelihood someone from Amer will get the ball before we score."  
Nathaniel couldn't hold back a surprised laugh. Quickly, he placed a hand over his mouth to stop himself, tears of amusement running down the corners of his eyes.  
"It doesn't work like that, Lucy," he grinned, turning his head slightly to look at her. "You don't think we're going to win?"  
Frowning slightly, Lucy rested her chin in the palms of her hands and bent forward, speculating the game that played out before her.  
"I never said we weren't going to win," she mumbled. "I said we'd win _faster._"

_**~Sherlock~**_

  
The match spanned out for the entire forty minutes, Sweet Amoris emerging victorious by a mere five points.  
As the spectators got quickly to their feet to leave the stadium after their roar of congratulations to the Sweet Amoris team, and scrambling out of the Gymnasium, the soles of their shoes squeaking loudly on the varnished floorboards.  
"Now's our chance," Nathaniel said quietly as he eyed Peggy who was prowling around the entrance to the locker room, waiting for the team to re-emerge before bombarding them with questions. Gesturing his head in Peggy's direction, he reached out for Lucy's hand once more to help her down the steps and onto the court, surprised when Lucy laced her fingers with his, a slight peach coloured painting his otherwise milky cheeks.  
Lucy smiled up at him, her navy eyes sparkling, which in turn caused the light shade of peach to deepen considerably.  
"Peggy," Lucy said as softly, but with as much authority as possible as the pair reached her.  
Peggy turned around, her dark eyes falling first on Nathaniel, and then on Lucy. "Hmm?" she asked.  
"We need to talk to you about the stolen exams," Nathaniel finished.  
Peggy raised her brows, her eyes sparkling with interest. "Stolen exams?" she questioned. "Who did it?"  
Lucy sighed. She hated it when people played the innocent card.  
"Well," she said, chewing on her bottom lip as she strung together the rest of her reply, "_you."  
_"Me?" Peggy repeated in surprise. "I would never! How could I possibly-"  
Nathaniel shifted uncomfortably, letting out a quiet sigh of relief when Lucy spoke for him.  
"You know your way around the Staff Room quite well, don't you?"  
Peggy nodded once. "I believe I do."  
"And," Lucy continued, "you are well aware of where documents, paperwork, files, and everything of the like are stored, correct?"  
Again, Peggy nodded. "I do. But I don't see how that has anything to do with the missing-"  
"What sort of lock does the Staff Room have?" Nathaniel tested quickly and, to his surprise, Lucy smiled up at him, the peach tint washing across his pallid skin once more.  
"Triple lock," Peggy answered simply. "Main lock with two pressure-locks at the top and," she paused, looking between the two of us before finishing her sentence slowly, "bottom…"  
"That's all we need to know," Lucy smiled before turning around and crossing the basketball court, Nathaniel behind her.  
Peggy's eyes widened. "Wait! Where are you going?"  
"To tell inform the Principal of the whereabouts of the exams," Lucy called over her shoulder.  
Footsteps echoed throughout the Gymnasium, and after a few moments, Peggy was at her side.  
"Look," she said, a frown set across her face. "I don't have the exams. I didn't take them – I have no reason to cheat. The last time I was in the Staff Room was to use the photocopier to make duplicates of the _Student's Choice_ newspaper."  
"You were the only one in there though, right?" Nathaniel said quietly. "You must have them."  
Peggy shook her head. "I didn't mention I was alone, I only said why I was there."  
Her frown deepened slightly and she pinched her chin between her index and middle finger thoughtfully.  
"Someone volunteered to help me carry the newspapers after they were photocopied. I get afternoon classes off every Friday to do so, and thought it would be a good idea if I were to accept her offer to help. I had my back turned to her the whole time. They had left before I had finished photocopying…"  
"Who was it?" Nathaniel urged and Peggy shook her head, fishing around in her pocket before pulling out a soft pink piece of paper which had been folded multiple times.  
"Here," she said, placing it in Nathaniel's hand. "I won't say who it is; I'm a suspect, as you claimed before and don't wish to get into further trouble. But this here should help you."  
She turned, giving a slight wave over her shoulder as she left – the Sweet Amoris basketball team completely forgotten.  
Nathaniel opened the soft pink paper carefully, lines creasing its otherwise smooth surface.  
There, in cursive handwriting was a small note – probably hastily thrown together.  
_  
Peggy,  
Sorry I couldn't stay; I already found what  
I'd come for, so there was no real point  
in staying any longer than necessary,  
is there?_

_**~Sherlock~**_

A/N: Wynaut just force ger to tell you?  
Haha, pokemon references~ Whoo!

Last chapter of the short series should be out by Friday. x 


	4. Always At That Place Honesty

Title; Sherlock  
Style: Short Series  
Chapter: Four – Always At That Place (Honesty)  
Authoress; Chrome Hearts  
Fandom; My Candy Love  
Main Focus; NathanialxOC  
Rating; K

_**A/N: Weow, so another chapter title from SHINee's Sherlock album. This one is called **__**늘**__**그자리에**__**(Honesty) , or, Always At That Place (Honesty) in English. Anyways, final chapter of the short series, lovelies.**_

Disclaimer; All publicly recognizable characters, settings, etc. are the property of their respective owners. The original characters and plot are the property of the author. The author is in no way associated with the owners, creators, or producers of any media franchise. No copyright infringement is intended.

~Sherlock~

Nathaniel sighed as he spun around on his desk chair, running his hands through his golden hair in exasperation. He snatched up the soft peach note, his eyes tracing over the cursive, elegant handwriting, before he sighed once more, tossing the note on his desk.  
The moon was high in the sky, and Nathaniel had been in the very spot he sat in currently for far longer than advisable. His head throbbed with effort, but he remained as close to solving the mystery now as he was when he first sat down in his room early that afternoon.  
"This is impossible," he mumbled, pinching the bridge of his nose gently, his golden eyes closing.  
Of course, he would never dare to tell Lucy that. Not in a million years.  
Opening his eyes, he frowned slightly. Lucy was seldom wrong with her guesses, so why would she confront Peggy if she knew that it wasn't her who had taken the exam?  
Nathaniel's golden brows knitted tightly together and he made a face.  
The way she acted that lunchtime after the match between Sweet Amoris and Aimer Haine when she openly accused Peggy and stated she was going to tell the Principal. That wasn't like her at all.  
Nathaniel chewed his bottom lip slightly in thought.  
No, she must have known that Peggy was innocent. She wouldn't have just claimed something she knew was faux.  
There must have been some sort of ulterior motive. His gaze moved from the wide, roof-to-floor length window that stood next to his large mahogany desk to the small peach coloured note that lay, slightly crumpled, in the center of the workspace.  
The note. Yes, that was it! It had to be! Of course! Lucy had provoked Peggy with a faux statement. She had _known _that Peggy knew something about the exams. She had known all along that Peggy had a clue.  
A light shade of pink painted Nathaniel's cheeks and he smiled, getting to his feet – his muscles protesting as he did so.  
"That girl," he said quietly, glancing out of his window.  
Somewhere on the other side of Sweet Amoris, Lucy Watson most likely sat, at her desk, hunched over and deep in thought, attempting to solve the mystery.  
Nathaniel shook his head, his golden hair falling into his eyes.  
If anyone ever needed answers about something, they'd go to Amber. That girl knew everything there was to know about absolutely everyone.  
Crossing the carpeted hallway, he knocked on his sister's door. There was no answer, so he walked in, looking around.  
"Amber!" he called, "I need to ask you something!"  
Amber snorted, her voice muffled by her en suite door.  
"Since when do you ask me for favours, big brother?"  
Nathaniel sighed. "Well, now, for instance."  
Amber's chime-like laugh rang out from behind her bathroom door.  
"Sorry, Nate. I'm about to wash my hair. I'll be out soon."  
Nathaniel let out a long, drawn-out sigh as he took a seat at his sister's desk.  
Girls could be so difficult at times.  
Rotating the chair around in a circle a few times, Nathaniel came to a stop, resting his elbows on the glossy wood of her workspace, his eyes running over its contents with disgust.  
Fluffy pens. Scented erasers. Sparkly, flexible rulers. Peach pink notepads. A sleek, pink leather pencilcase with 'Amber' written on it in her usual beautiful, cursive, calligraphy.  
Everything was so utterly… Girly. It sent a small shiver down his spine.  
Picking up a pen, he spun it around in his fingertips. The pen itself was thin, and incredibly flimsy. A large sphere of purple fuzz stuck out of the top, reminding him oddly of a feather duster. An oversized, ornamental butterfly sat atop the fuzz, bending slightly on its small spring.  
Nathaniel made a small noise of disapproval in the back of his throat, dropping it back into a fluffy teddy-bear shaped pen holder.  
How could she possibly take notes in class with something as impractical as that?  
Making a mental note to buy his sister a packet of _proper _pens, he got to his feet and slowly trudged back down the hallway and into his room. Already in his button-up pajamas, Nathaniel kicked his slippers off and dropped into his bed, crawling under the sheets, absolutely exhausted.  
Closing his eyes, he sighed.  
The case of the missing exams was simply going to have to wait until tomorrow to solve. That way, he could approach it with a fresh mind.

_**~Sherlock~  
**_

"Well?" Lucy smiled as Nathaniel walked into the Student Council Room early the next morning.  
Smiling inwardly, Nathaniel fought back the blush that threatened to creep onto his cheeks – she was waiting for him.  
"Did you find out anything new?"  
Nathaniel answered her question with a shake of his head, dropping into one of many hard, plastic chairs that were scattered throughout the Student Council Room.  
"I didn't. I stayed up to- I'm not even sure how late I stayed up, but I couldn't work out anything."  
Lucy's brows furrowed.  
"Don't you think it's odd that we're always here, together, in the Student Council Room?"  
Nathaniel shook his head again. "Not really."  
Lucy's lips curled upwards, "It's just, we're always here now… Always in this place."  
She paused quickly for a second. "Can I see the note, please?"  
Nathaniel nodded once, his hand digging into his pocket, his long fingertips wrapping tightly around the crumpled note – the one clue that they had – and passed it to Lucy.  
Her eyes scanned over the cursive writing, and she turned the paper over in her hands, looking for a mark, a smudge – a sign of anything that could lead them to the thief.  
When she found nothing, she turned it back to the writing.  
"Who do you know who has writing like this?" she asked, and Nathaniel shrugged.  
"Castiel," he said slowly. "For a delinquent who cares little about, well, anything, he certainly has nice handwriting."  
Lucy shot him a grin.  
"Castiel?" she asked, amused and Nathaniel nodded; It could be possible…  
"And why would Castiel have a pink notepad?" she asked, her eyes locking with his.  
Or not…  
Well, it was worth a try.  
Lucy's gaze once again turned back to the note as she continued to look it over.  
Nathaniel's eyes opened wide and he quickly got to his feet.  
Why didn't he realize it before? It was so obvious!  
More importantly, it had been in front of his eyes the entire time!  
Lucy tilted her head to the side at Nathaniel's sudden movement.  
"What's wrong, Holmes?"  
"I know who took the exams!"

_**~Sherlock~**_

Lucy and Nathaniel searched the school, looking for the culprit. And, after a short while of searching, they had come across them, in the center of their usual friendship group.  
When Nathaniel and Lucy were spotted, the so-called friends quickly dispersed.  
Taking this as an invitation, Nathaniel stalked right up to the culprit, his eyes narrowed.  
"Why did you take the exams?"  
A pair of sea-foam green eyes widened at his remark, but the owner remained silent, lips pressed together in a thin line.  
Nathaniel sighed, a hand running through his golden hair.  
"I'll say it again," he growled, trying his best to keep his voice even –but failing- "why did you steal the exams, Amber?"  
His sister shrugged, flicking her shiny golden hair over her shoulder.  
"I don't know what you're on about, Natty," she said, her eyes flicking between Nathaniel and Lucy, a small smile spreading on her face.  
Lucy sighed, her fingers moving to her jacket pocket before she pulled out the peach pink note and handed it to the golden haired girl.  
"Look familiar?" she asked and Amber's eyes narrowed.  
"No," she said simply. Innocently.  
Far too innocently for Lucy's liking. The way she said it, it just seemed so… So faux.  
Lucy chuckled inwardly at her deduction. Probably because it was faux, she thought.  
Nathaniel took the note from his sisters hands.  
"Don't lie to me," he said slowly, "I know this is yours. Your handwriting is incredibly cursive. You left your notepad on your desk last night – the paper colour matches perfectly."  
Amber scrunched up her face.  
"Prove it."  
Nathaniel's eyes darted around for further proof before he took his sisters pencil case out from underneath her arms, holding it side by side with the note. The handwriting on both were identical.  
"Amber," Nathaniel sighed as he handed back the pencilcase, before pinching the bridge of his nose. "Why did you do it?"  
Amber looked away.  
"I just wanted my grades to be as good as yours. He may not show it, but Dad is always impressed with your grades... I just wanted him to be proud of me, too."  
Nathaniel shook his head slowly.  
"He is proud of you, Amber. Now, give me back the exams and I'll hand them in. You won't get into trouble if you do it this way."  
Amber's lips fell into a sickly pout and she blinked at her brother.  
"Promise?"  
"Yes," Nathaniel sighed. Amber slipped the small manila envelope out of the folder that she hugged tightly to her chest and handed it to her brother.  
"Alright. I'm going to class. I'll leave everything up to you."  
Nathaniel and Lucy watched Amber's retreating back as it disappeared around the corner.  
"What a headache," Lucy mumbled and Nathaniel smiled down at her.  
"She's not that bad," he said and the two began to walk down the empty hallway of Sweet Amoris, side by side.  
"She really is," Lucy replied playfully, bumping her hip into Nathaniel's.  
A small chuckle escaped Nathaniel's lips and he reached for her hand, lacing his fingers with hers.  
Blinking down at them, Lucy moved her gaze upwards, shooting him a quizzical look.  
Nathaniel halted, bringing her hand up wards, his lips brushing across them, a small smile playing across his face.  
"Looks like another job well done, Holmes."

_**~Sherlock~**_

_**A/N: Just give Nathaniel a Chansey and he'll figure everything out!  
**_


End file.
